non-conformists to the established order. Of course, during the dark ages, the established order was the papacy, but accusations were so insistent and continuous that many sincere people believed them. Now what is the antidote to discord? and what is the answer to the “ Accusers of the Brethren” ? May I suggest two things? Both of them are very simple, and neither one of them costs any money. Those two things are TEARS and PRAYERS. Of course there are faults that need to be remedied. Of course there are lapses of faith where restoration should be made. Of course there are derelic tions in duty that should be reprimanded. A ll Scripture was not given exclusively for doctrine and instruction: it was also given for reproof and correction. But how should Scripture be used for reproof and cor rection? Certainly not in the destmctive and character annihilating method by which Satan carries on his heinous work as “ the accuser of our brethren,” (Rev. 12:10) and for which he will be cast out of heaven, but in the way that the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul dealt with the evils that were evident in their day. Oh, how Jesus wept and prayed over Jerusalem, even though it was there that He was despised, rejected, and crucified! And how the Apostle Paul wept and prayed over the faults, failures, and frailties of the churches that he founded! There are only two of the Pauline epistles in which there are no stains of tears on their pages, and these are the Thessalonian epistles. Seemingly this Church (if there were the first epistles Paul wrote) was too young to have developed discord as yet. This would seem to be the case according to II Thess. 1:3, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you toward each other aboundeth.” But even then, Paul pleaded with them to love one another more and more. I Thess. 4:9-10, “ But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed you do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we be seech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more.” Suppose we examine the occasions when Paul either wept or had great sorrow. Writing to the people in the church of Galatia after they had disappointed him in their lapse into legalism, Paul cried out, “My little chil dren, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” In spite of their failure to believe and to practice that “ Christ is the end of the law for righteous ness to every one that believeth,” yet how Paul loved them. No bitter denunciation: and no publicly adminis tered chastisement in a “holier-than-thou” attitude. Writing to the Church at Ephesus, where the losing of their first love must have been in operation while Paul was still there, Paul exclaimed, “Wherefore I desire
O n e of the outstanding characteristics of the early Church was its accord. They were all with one accord in the ten day prayer meeting just before Pente cost (Acts 1:14). They were all in one accord while waiting for the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2 : 1 ). Then they were in such accord in their daily worship that they made so favorable impression on all the people as to be leading many souls to a decision for the Lord Jesus Christ every day (Acts 2:46-47). And with one accord they gave testimony to their faith in the face of persecution, and prayed for even greater boldness to proclaim the Word (Acts 2:24, 29). This accord was so pronounced that multitudes were saved through their witnessing (Acts 5:12, 14). And then discord raised its serpentine head as the Grecians accused the Hebrews of taking better care of their widows, than they did of the Grecian widows. And the result has been that since then, accord and discord have been the marks of the Spirit filled Church as com pared with the spiritually famine stricken Church. So it was not long before certain men went down from Jerusalem to Antioch to accuse the brethren of unlawful practices which were contrary to the law of Moses. And these practices were unlawful on that basis, but the brethren from Jerusalem did not fully comprehend the fact as yet, that the Church was no longer under law, but under grace. As a result, the debate was long and acri monious (Acts 15:1-2, 7). Later on, Paul and Barnabas said some very sharp and accusing things to each other concerning John Mark, who had been a quitter on a previous missionary journey (Acts 15:37-39). Then, on Paul’s last visit to Jerusalem, just as his expla nations of his dealings with gentile Christians seemed to be satisfactory, some Asian Jews accused him of so many wrongs that they aroused the mob to a point where they were about to kill Paul. Had he not been rescued by the soldiers of the Roman garrison, he would have been killed (Acts 21:27-32). What about all of the accusations made against Paul by the Corinthians? What about those in Philippi who, in declaring their accusations against Paul, actually did preach the gospel. Paul, seemingly, chuckled over it because he said it made him rejoice (Phil. 1:15-18). But “ what shall I more say, for the time would fail me to tell of” (Neb. 11:32) missionaries and pastors and evan gelists and teachers and countless other Christian workers, who have felt the edge of the critics sword, have had cruel mockings and tongue lashings, and their purposes and methods have been tom asunder (Heb. 11:36-37). Just think of the millions of martyrs down through the centuries? Many real Christians, doubtlessly, were aroused by deceivers and false prophets to cry out against these
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